Thousand Oaks bar shooting: What we know about the California massacre

Ventura County has set up a Family Assistance and Unification Center where shooting victims and their families can seek help after the mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill, Wednesday night. (Nov. 8)
AP

People comfort each other at the scene of a mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California.(Photo: Marvin O. Jimenez)

The latest happened at a country-western themed bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif., where a gunman opened fire Wednesday night on patrons, killing 12 including a sheriff's sergeant who was among the first to respond.

On Friday, authorities were still trying to piece together what happened.

"I think it’s impossible to put any logic or any sense to the senseless," said Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean during a news conference.

Here's what we know Friday:

The victims: 'My life has changed now forever'

Telemachus Orfanos had survived last year's shooting at the Route 91 music festival in Las Vegas, where a gunman killed 58. On Thursday, he was confirmed as one of the 12 victims of the shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill.

His father, Marc Orfanos, said he visited Borderline to have dinner with friends. "It’s particularly ironic that after surviving the worst mass shooting in modern history, he went on to be killed in his hometown," he said.

Jason Coffman was among the parents and friends who rushed to the scene hoping their loved ones inside the bar were still alive. His son, Cody, did not survive. "I am speechless and heartbroken. ... My life has changed now forever."

Ventura County Sheriff Sergeant Ron Helus was expected to retire as soon as next year. Helus was shot multiple times and later died at the hospital.

Among the other victims identified in the shooting: Daniel Manrique, 33, a Marine Corps veteran; Justin Meek, 23, a recent graduate of California Lutheran University; and Alaina Housley, a freshman at Pepperdine University and niece of "The Real" host and "Sister, Sister" star Tamera Mowry-Housley. Authorities haven't named all the victims of the shooting.

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The father of Cody Coffman gave an emotional interview after learning his son was one of the 12 victims of the Thousand Oaks shooting in California.
USA TODAY

Mourning the lives lost

On Thursday night, thousands held a vigil for those killed at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

Acting California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered flags at half-staff at all state buildings to pay tribute to the victims.

"This atrocious act and the many mass shootings that came before are beyond heartbreaking – they are societal failures," said Newsom in a statement.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump ordered all U.S. flags flown at half-staff to honor the victims. "God bless all of the victims and families of the victims," said Trump on Twitter. "Thank you to Law Enforcement."

....Great bravery shown by police. California Highway Patrol was on scene within 3 minutes, with first officer to enter shot numerous times. That Sheriff’s Sergeant died in the hospital. God bless all of the victims and families of the victims. Thank you to Law Enforcement.

What happened inside the Borderline

The gunman, identified as 28-year-old Ian David Long, drove from his mother's house in Newbury Park, Calif., to the bar, wearing all black and armed with a .45-caliber handgun with extended magazine. After shooting a security guard outside the venue, he tossed a smoke bomb into the bar and began firing.

People threw barstools out windows to escape the chaos. At around 11:20 p.m., Helus and the highway patrolman arrived at the bar and entered after hearing gunfire. Helus was immediately struck by multiple gunshots, Dean said. The highway patrolman pulled Helus out and waited for more officers and a SWAT team to arrive. The gunman was later found dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Expert on gunman: This isn't about PTSD

Authorities said Long, who was a Marine Corps veteran, had experienced past erratic behavior suggesting he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. However, Barbara Olasov Rothbaum, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and director of the Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program at Emory University School of Medicine, said this is not PTSD, and worries incidents like the one in Thousand Oaks could contribute to its stigma. "I get upset when people get scared of veterans with PTSD because they think they are going to be violent and they’re not."

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Cheryl Tate, center right, the mother of Cody Coffman, is comforted by a mourner as her son, Chayse, looks at the coffin at a funeral service for Coffman on Nov. 14, 2018, in Camarillo, Calif. The 22-year-old was among a dozen people killed in a Nov. 7, 2018, shooting at a country music bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif. JAE C. HONG, AP

A man and childe observe the mass shooting victims' memorial grows as the FBI and Ventura County Sheriff's office continue their investigation at the Borderline Bar and Grill on Sunday. Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY NETWORK

Sgt. Ron Helus was the first officer through the door at the Borderline Bar and Grill, and he was gunned down along with 11 others, last Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY NETWORK

A rose sits atop the cross for Justin Meeks, as the mass shooting victims memorial grows in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Twelve people were shot and killed Wednesday by gunman Ian David Long who opened fire at the Borderline Bar and Grill. Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY NETWORK

Thousand Oaks councilman and pastor Rob McCoy comforts his congregation during Sunday morning services at Godspeak Calvary Chapel on Nov. 11, 2018, in Newbury Park, Calif. Twelve people were shot and killed Wednesday by gunman Ian David Long who opened fire at the Borderline Bar and Grill. Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY NETWORK

Pictures of the shooting victims at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif. are shown in the sanctuary of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park, Calif., as councilman and pastor Rob McCoy speaks during the Sunday service. Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY NETWORK

Thousand Oaks councilman and pastor Rob McCoy honor the mass shooting victims during Sunday morning services at Godspeak Calvary Chapel on Nov. 11, 2018, in Newbury Park, Calif. The congregation included fire and shooting survivors, and shooting victim families. Twelve people were shot and killed Wednesday by gunman Ian David Long who opened fire at the Borderline Bar and Grill. Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY NETWORK

The congregation, which includes fire and shooting survivors as well as family members of victims, offer comfort and prayers during Sunday morning services at Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park. Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY NETWORK

Mourners paid their respects at a growing memorial as the FBI and Ventura County Sheriff’s Office continue their investigation at the Borderline Bar and Grill on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Twelve people were shot and killed Wednesday by gunman Ian David Long who opened fire at the Borderline Bar and Grill. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

The FBI and local law enforcement continue their investigation at the Borderline Bar and Grill on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Twelve people were shot and killed Wednesday by gunman Ian David Long who opened fire at the Borderline Bar and Grill. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

Players wear T-shirts bearing the names of the 12 victims killed in Wednesday night's shooting at a country bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif., as they listen to the national anthem before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Los Angeles. Jae C. Hong, AP

A car is returned to its owner that was parked at the shooting scene as the FBI and Ventura County Sheriff's office continue their investigation at the Borderline Bar and Grill on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

A memorial grows as the FBI and Ventura County Sheriff's office continue their investigation at the Borderline Bar and Grill on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

A small memorial of flowers and candles grow at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza as the FBI and Ventura County Sheriff's office continue their investigation at the Borderline Bar and Grill on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

A mourning band covers the shield of a Deputy Sheriff on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, after Ron Helus, a sergeant at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office was mortally wounded at the Borderline Bar and Grill mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

Deanna Johnson wipes away tears during a candlelight vigil organized by area students for victims of the Borderline Bar and Grill mass shooting. The vigil was held at the Ventura County Government Center on Friday, Nov. 9, 2108. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Deanna Johnson, Kaylee Peterson and Austin Peterson grieve at a candlelight vigil on Friday, Nov. 9, 2108 for the victims of the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Shooting survivors hug outside the Borderline Bar and Grill as their wait to claim your vehicles on Friday, Nov. 9, 2108, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Twelve people were shot and killed Wednesday by gunman Ian David Long who opened fire at the Borderline Bar and Grill. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic- USA TODAY Network

Marshall Lybarger, 22, a survivor of the mass shooting talks about his experince on Friday, Nov. 9, 2108, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Twelve people were shot and killed Wednesday by gunman Ian David Long who opened fire at the Borderline Bar and Grill. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic- USA TODAY Network

Chaplain Manuel Castro, right, prays with activists Sandy and Lonnie Phillips at a police barricade near the mass shooting site at the Borderline Bar and Grill on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The Phillips lost their daughter, Jessica Ghawi, when she was murdered in a movie theater shooting in Aurora, CO. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic-USA TODAY Network

A candle and flowers are left at a growing memorial near the site of the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill on Friday, Nov. 9, 2108, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic-USA TODAY Network

Ben Campbell, a survivor of the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill, says his brother survived the Vegas shooting last year during a interview on Friday, Nov. 9, 2108, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic-USA TODAY Network

A line stretches out of the parking lot and down the block during a blood donation drive on Nov. 8, 2018, at La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks, Calif. in the aftermath of the mass shooting. ROBERT HANASHIRO, USA TODAY

The scene outside a "family reunification center" where family members of victims are gathered to be notified of their loved one's status on Nov. 8, 2018 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. ROBERT HANASHIRO, USA TODAY

Alexis Tait, left, who lost a friend in the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill cries with Rachel Berg as the hearse carrying the body of Sergeant Ron Helus passes by in Thousand Oaks, Calif. on Nov. 8, 2018. MIKE NELSON, EPA-EFE

Family members are saluted by law enforcement officers after the hearse carrying the body of Sergeant Ron Helus arrived at the medical examiner's office in Ventura, Calif. on Nov. 8, 2018. EUGENE GARCIA, EPA-EFE

Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Armando Viera, center, consoles an unidentified woman on a freeway overpass after a motorcade with the body of Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus went by Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Newbury Park, Calif. Helus was fatally shot while responding to a mass shooting at a country music bar in Southern California. Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP

Grieving people are led into the Thousand Oaks Teen Center where families have gathered after a deadly shooting at a bar on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Multiple people were shot and killed late Wednesday by the gunman who opened fire at the Borderline Bar & Grill, which was holding a weekly country music dance night for college students. Richard Vogel, AP

Firefighters salute from an overpass as a motorcade with the body of Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus goes by Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Newbury Park, Calif. Helus was fatally shot while responding to a mass shooting at a country music bar in Southern California. Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP

An honor guard salutes the body of Ventura County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Ron Helus before it departs the Los Robles Regional Medical Center Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Helus was killed after a gunman opened fire the night before inside a country dance bar crowded with hundreds of people on "college night." Mark J. Terrill, AP

Pepperdine University freshman Alaina Housley was one of the victims killed at a mass shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018. A statement issued to USA TODAY on behalf of Mowry-Housley and her husband, former Fox News correspondent Adam Housley, confirmed their niece was a victim in the mass shooting that left 12 dead, inside a country music dance bar. Pepperdine Graphic

This 2017 photo from the California Department of Motor Vehicles shows Ian David Long. Authorities said the Marine combat veteran opened fire Wednesday evening, Nov. 7, 2018, at a country music bar in Southern California, killing multiple people before apparently taking his own life. California Department of Motor Vehicles via AP

Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean speaks to reporters near the scene in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, where a gunman opened fire the previous night inside a country dance bar crowded with hundreds of people. Mark J. Terrill, AP

FBI investigators arrive outside the house of shooting suspect David Ian Long in Newbury Park, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. Authorities said the former Marine opened fire at a country music bar in Southern California on Wednesday evening. Richard Vogel, AP

An FBI agent talks to a potential witness as they stand near the scene Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. where a gunman opened fire Wednesday inside a country dance bar crowded with hundreds of people on "college night." Mark J. Terrill, AP

Sgt. Ron Helus, of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, died after being shot while responding to a mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Nov. 8, 2018. Ventura County Sheriff's Office

People comfort each other at the scene in Thousand Oaks, Calif. where a gunman opened fire inside a country dance bar crowded with hundreds of people on "college night," on Nov. 8, 2018. Mark J. Terrill, AP

In this image taken from video, a victim is carried from the scene of a shooting, Wednesday evening, Nov. 7, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. A hooded gunman dressed entirely in black opened fire on a crowd at a country dance bar holding a weekly "college night" in Southern California, killing multiple people and sending hundreds fleeing including some who used barstools to break windows and escape, authorities said Thursday. The gunman was later found dead at the scene. RMG News via AP

Police cars are seen outside a country music bar and dance hall in Thousand Oaks, Calif. after a gunman barged into a large, crowded venue and opened fire late Nov. 7, 2018, killing at least 12 people. JAVIER TOVAR, AFP/Getty Images

People comfort each other at the scene in Thousand Oaks, Calif. where a gunman opened fire inside a country dance bar crowded with hundreds of people on "college night," on Nov. 8, 2018. Mark J. Terrill, AP

APSheriff's deputies speak to a potential witness as they stand near the scene in Thousand Oaks, Calif. where a gunman opened fire inside a country dance bar crowded with hundreds of people on "college night," on Nov. 8, 2018. Mark J. Terrill, AP

Can we prevent another mass shooting?

As families and friends grieve, some are expressing frustration over whether signs were missed to keep this incident from happening. Authorities said police were summoned to Long's house in April when he was found "acting a little irrationally." But identifying who might become a mass shooter before it happens is "impossible," said Steven Hoge, a forensic psychiatrist and clinical professor at Columbia University. "What mental health professionals bring to the table is the ability to identify risks and triggers to past violent acts and to try to figure out how to mitigate or avoid those incidents in the future."